Nebraska baseball lapses, losing to Iowa 11-6
The Nebraska baseball team (21-12-1) struggled to limit the damage as Iowa (27-10) took down NU 11-6. It was two disastrous innings defensively for the Big Red that led to an assertive victory for the Hawkeyes.
The Huskers lose their first Friday game since the opening series this season. NU fell to San Diego on February 17, and haven’t dropped a Friday game since, with wins over teams like No. 7 Vanderbilt and Michigan.
Game Recap
Emmett Olson started this game on the mound for the Big Red and found himself behind early. After giving up a double in the first inning, he struck out the side. However, in the second inning, he couldn’t recover when he fell behind. Iowa had runners on first and third and a sac fly opened this game’s scoring. A base hit to center field then doubled the Hawkeyes lead.
Shortly after, with two runners on, Iowa sent a three-run shot over the right field wall and took a 5-0 lead. Olson’s day was done in the next inning, with his final stat line being two and a third innings pitched and five earned runs on six hits.
The offense looked to be coming to the team’s aid as Charlie Fischer and Dylan Carey drove in runs in the fourth inning. After the Hawkeyes got one back, NU scored two more in the fifth. Once again, Fischer and Gabe Swansen drove in two runs and it was a 6-4 ballgame.
This is when the wheels started to come off for Nebraska. With Shay Schanaman on the mound, Iowa scored a run on a sac fly to make it 7-4. An error with two outs from the defense scored another run for the Hawkeyes, and three more would follow.
Now trailing 11-4, NU made a late charge scoring two runs in the ninth inning, but it was not enough. The Huskers fell 11-6 and will need to win two in a row in order to win the series.
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“Only a couple hits with runners in scoring position, left a lot of baserunners out there. Had our opportunities.”
-Nebraska head coach Will Bolt via the Huskers Radio Network
Two crooked numbers is the difference
Nebraska allowed two crooked numbers in this game.
In the bottom of the second inning, Emmett Olson struggled to get settled and allowed runners on the corners off one hit. The lefty then allowed the first run of the game off a sac fly, and a base hit to follow put the Huskers down two. With two base runners, the Hawkeyes hit a three-run shot and NU trailed by five. It was this crooked number that put NU in a hole that they tried to climb out of.
The next crooked number came after the Big Red started to dig themselves out of the aforementioned hole. With the Hawkeyes leading 6-4, the Nebraska defense lapsed once again in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Iowa hit a sac fly and extended their lead, but it was still within striking distance. However, the next at bat, an error from Brice Matthews saw the Hawkeyes score one more, and they added three more to follow.
It was those two defensive lapses that put NU in the hole that they could not surmount.
Too many runners left stranded
Nebraska left 11 runners on base in this game. From those 11, eight were left in scoring position. It was a game where the Huskers needed all they could get to find their way back into it. However, they hit just .188 with runners in scoring position.
One of the biggest spots where this was prevalent was the first inning. With runners on second and third and two outs, NU could have jumped out to a quick advantage. However, it was a strikeout that ended the inning and the Big Red went home with nothing.
Looking forward to the remainder of the series, coach Bolt will look to improve upon that.
What’s next?
The Huskers take on the Hawkeyes two more times this series. Saturday’s game starts at 2:05 p.m. and Sunday’s is at 1:05 p.m. Both games are streaming on B1G+ (LINK HERE) and are over the radio on the Huskers Radio Network (LINK HERE).
